Races of Otumati
Halflings Halflings, called Hin in the old tongue, are a noble people with a focus on family, friends, and the simple pleasures in life. Communities are tight-knit, often forming outside of settlements of other major races. It is not generally within the halfling custom to organize society in the feudal bonds, their participation in the Otumati Kingdom notwithstanding. Halflings most commonly refer to the eldest members of their small communities for matters of leadership. Lifespan: >120 years Languages: Humans Humans are the most populous race in Otumat and possibly in all Aeonar. Their short lifespans lend to their strong ambition. Humans have been the backbone of the greatest empires in history. Humans, with few cultural exceptions, organize themselves in bonds of feudalism, with heroic bloodlines forming a noble rank of stewards of law and society. Dozens of different subcultures exist within humanity. Lifespan: >80 years Languages: Wood Elves Erynhim are the warrior caste of elfkind. The Wood Elves generally live in forests that they call wealds. Many Erynhim live a fairly modest nomadic lifestyle, led by rangers in small groups of three or four families called wodes. Where more than one wode gathers to one purpose, a gerontocratic council is created from among the scattered, well-hidden villages of a weald. Wood elves strongly prioritize good relations with neighbors and the creatures of their wealds. Many Wood Elves live among High Elves. Lifespan: >1,000 years Languages: High Elves Amandilhim are the ancient priestly caste of elfkind. The class was created long ago from among wood elves that were permitted access to the divine and arcane arts of the ancient elven empires. The magics granted high elves a longer lifespan than their wood elven brethren. High Elves see themselves as the heirs of elfkind, though they tolerate and often live among their ungifted Erynhim kin. Unlike Wood Elves, High Elven culture generally xenophobic or at least supremacists when it comes to elven kind. High Elven society, as a historical priesthood, is currently at odds with the forces of Ostrick Adamant. The last pockets of High Elven society live among outsiders in diaspora as their race seems to be fading into obscurity, targeted for the very heritage that they treasure. Lifespan: >5,000 years Languages: Dwarves Dwarves are an ancient people that generally dwell in subterranean fortresses hewn from the stone. Their structure is based around large extended families called the clan. Some clan leaders ascend to become thanes, or in the case of racial leaders, thanes. Dwarves are fiercely honorable, and their grudges are antagonized by boundless enmity. Age: >800 years Languages: Dragonborn Dragonborn are the creations of Good King Ord, a sort of ascension to another form by members of Ord's Golden Army. Dragonborn take on the size and strength of dragonflights, even taking on an elemental breath. Dragonborn are relics of the Golden Age, a magical race created to serve as Ord's Dragon Knights. The Dragon Knights were, by and large, slaughtered at the Siege of the Temple of Balhut, and survivors are few and far between. After the Betrayal, the Dragonborn were made illegal by edict of King Ostrick Adamant, with a bounty of one hundred gold pieces for a living Dragonborn delivered to Adamant. Age: >200 years Languages: Gnomes Gnomes are creatures of ingenuity, bravery, and cunning. Their ancient progeny suggests a consanguinity with the sprites of the Wild Plane. Having had few interactions with the outside world before their introduction to the Otumati kingdom by the wood elves, the gnomes value quiet lives. The gnomish value system centers around individual freedom. Age: >1,000 years Languages: Goliaths Goliath society is tribal in aspect, though the giantkin value greatly equality and fairness. Their history is an ancient one, and they are perhaps the oldest inhabitants of Otumat along with the elves. To outsiders, Goliath tradition could be viewed as harsh and cruel, especially to the week and infirm, who they most generally exiled. Only few goliath have settled down, as they are mostly a nomadic race, favoring the mountains of the Spine of the World and the Wilderness.